Way Of The Ape Spirit

Many martial artists base their training, and their ways of life, on the lessons they can learn from animals. Monkeys are limber and dexterous, panthers are lithe and stealthy, and bears use their size to intimidate their opponents. There are many different martial arts styles based on animals, and in the world of Faerûn, these martial arts are amongst the most popular, and the most personal. There is no singular Way Of The Animal Spirit; instead, each martial artist must choose a beast spirit to study and learn from, as their own personal guide. These martial artists travel the world to various temples dedicated to their specific beasts, to pray, train, and attempt to commune with their chosen beast. Eventually, with enough training and mental tranquility, a beast spirit may even appear before the monks and journey alongside them.

By selecting this subclass, you have chosen to follow the Way Of The Ape Spirit, and base your martial arts on the teachings of the Ape.

Apes are known for being dexterous, using their hands and feet to grab, swing, and hit things similar to humans. Their high intellect also allows them to learn, use tools, and communicate far better than most other animals. Having an Ape by your side is a lot like having a human companion for those reasons. By following the Way Of The Ape Spirit, you become skilled in using your hands to beat down your opponents, as well as learning the value of teamwork and coordinating attacks with your animal companion.

**For the purpose of balancing this subclass, your monk does not gain its Extra Attack feature at 5th level.**

 

Ape Companion

At 3rd level, you gain an ape companion that will travel and fight alongside you. This ape uses the stats and features listed for an Ape in the Player's Handbook, but with the following changes:

• The ape obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own.
• The ape loses its Multiattack feature.
• The ape does not come with any weapons, but it has the ability to wield a quarterstaff. It can use this weapon with one or two hands for its Attack action, or it can use its Fist or Rock attacks.
• The ape cannot wear armor or wield a shield.
• The ape uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own for attack rolls, damage rolls, and skills in which it is proficient.
• The ape also adds your proficiency bonus to its AC.
• The ape gains the ability to use Ki similar to your monk. Your monk and ape share the same pool of Ki points.
• The ape also gains the Unarmored Movement, Deflect Missiles, Slow Fall, Ki-Empowered Strikes, Evasion, Stillness Of Mind, Purity Of Body, Diamond Soul, Timeless Body, and Empty Body features at the same levels as your monk. (Basically, all features except for Martial Arts, Extra Attack, Stunning Strike, and Tongue Of The Sun And Moon. These features are either excluded, or have specific changes for your ape listed below.)
• At 5th level, the ape gains the Stunning Strike feature, which can be used with either its quarterstaff or Fist attacks.
• For each level you gain after 3rd, your animal companion gains an additional hit die and increases its hit points accordingly.
• Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your companion's abilities also improve. Your companion can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your companion can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature unless its description specifies otherwise.
• The ape can communicate to your monk by using sign language, and can express simple ideas and hold short conversations.
• Being a timeless spirit, the ape understands all spoken languages, and can interpret what is being said to your monk. However, it cannot read, write, or speak any languages. This does not change when your monk gains the Tongue Of The Sun And Moon feature.

If your ape is ever slain, its body disappears instantly and it cannot be resurrected until after you complete a long rest. If it is carrying any weapons at the time of its death, those weapons fall to the ground where it was slain. At the end of a long rest, you can call forth your companion's spirit again, and it reappears alongside you.

At 3rd level, your monk gains a climbing speed equal to their movement speed.

Fist Of Furry

At 6th level, if your beast uses the Attack action with either a quarterstaff or its Fist attack, it can make an additional Fist attack as a bonus action.

Knockdown Strike & Coordinated Taunt

Starting at 11th level, when you or your ape hit a creature with a melee attack, you can spend 1 ki point to have the attacker attempt a Knockdown Strike. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is knocked prone, you can then spend 1 additional ki point to follow it up a Stunning Strike. The target must succeed on another Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of the attacking character's next turn.

In addition, at the start of your turn in the first round of any combat (whichever character has their turn first), you and your ape can perform a coordinated pose and taunt as a free action. You must already be within 5 feet of each other at the start of combat to perform this. If you do the taunt, roll 1d4 and regain that many ki points. This does not negate the later effects of the Perfect Self feature.

Gang-Up

Beginning at 17th level, whenever you or your ape make a melee attack against a creature, the other character can use their reaction to attempt one melee attack against the same creature, as long as they are within 5 feet of the target. You cannot use these reactions to target a different creature.